


Circumventing Authority

by rusty_armour



Series: No Matter What the Cost [1]
Category: Star Trek: Enterprise
Genre: Episode Related, First Time, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-11-18
Updated: 2009-11-18
Packaged: 2017-10-03 08:21:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rusty_armour/pseuds/rusty_armour
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Reed and Hayes engage in another sparring match</p>
            </blockquote>





	Circumventing Authority

**Author's Note:**

> I'd like to say THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to my friend, Kathye, for being such a patient, supportive and hard-working beta. I don't think I would have gotten this story off the ground (and out of my dirty mind) without her.
> 
> This is a prequel to "Standing Down".
> 
> ©2004

* * *

  
Enterprise's chief engineer sat in the deserted mess hall, absorbed in his PADD. His initial estimate had been correct: it would take days to re-align the warp coils. After spending time in Phlox's tender care, the engines were a mess.

Tucker pushed aside the PADD in disgust. He took a sip from the coffee resting by his elbow, and scowled. "Figures it'd be cold," he mumbled. He grabbed his mug and was about to rise from his chair when the door to the mess hall opened.

_Ah, Malcolm,_ he thought. _Who else would be roaming the mess hall at this time of night?_

The armoury officer headed straight for the beverage dispenser, failing to take in the rest of the room.

_Well, that's strange. Usually nothing gets past him._

Tucker watched him closely, observing the messy hair and sweaty tank top.

_That must have been some workout._

Sliding open the door of the cabinet next to the dispenser, Reed removed a mug then placed it under the blue light of the machine.

"Black tea, strong," he told the machine, after hitting a button on the dispenser panel.

Nothing appeared in his mug. Reed sighed and placed his order again.

"Black tea, hot," he grumbled.

The beverage dispenser dutifully poured Reed's selection into his mug. He nodded in satisfaction, pulled down the tiny hatch of the machine's receptacle, and turned to find a table. That was when he saw Tucker and nearly lost his hard-earned tea.

"How long have you been sitting there?" Reed demanded as some of his tea sloshed over the brim of his mug. He placed a hand over his heart and glared at the grinning engineer.

"I was here when you came in. You just didn't see me. You were too fixated by tea, which might not be such a good idea if you're plannin' on sleepin' tonight."

Reed walked over to Tucker's table and plopped down in a chair.

"I won't be getting much sleep tonight," he muttered, slumping over his mug.

"Not even after your workout?"

Reed's head shot up. "How do you know about that?" he asked in alarm.

"'Cause you look like you just came from the gym?" Tucker said cautiously.

"What?" Reed looked down at his clothes. "Oh...right. Sorry."

"Is there something you wanna tell me?"

"NO! No, of course not, Commander," Reed said quickly. "Say, are those the engine diagnostics?"

Tucker glanced down at his PADD. "Yeah, I'm afraid so. I thought you and that alien did some damage, but that was nothing compared to what the engines went through when Phlox took the ship through the disturbance at warp."

"No, I suppose not."

"Now I know what you're gonna say. And you're right. Phlox made the right decision, the only reasonable decision under the circumstances. I just wish that the 'right decision' didn't have to involve my engines all the time."

"Yes," Reed said absently.

Tucker rubbed the muscles in his right shoulder. "My neck is killin' me. I'm really beginnin' to wish I hadn't cancelled my neuropressure session with T'Pol. I wonder how pissed off she'd be if I showed up at her quarters at 0100 hours," he mused.

Reed's mug slammed down on the table, jolting Tucker from his thoughts.

"Is sex all you ever think about?" he said angrily.

Tucker's jaw dropped. "Well, no...Hell, of course not, Malcolm. It's just that..."

Reed stood up and marched straight out of the room. Bewildered, Tucker stared at the closing door.

"Okaaay...what just happened?"

* * *

_Forty-Five Minutes Earlier_

Lieutenant Malcolm Reed stepped out of the lift and walked briskly to the gym. After spending four days in a coma, he was restless instead of rested. While many crewmembers were still feeling groggy after their prolonged slumber, Reed was wide awake.

He hoped that a quick workout would be just what his body needed to sleep. If nothing else, it would allow him to kill some time until his armoury was free of the MACOs and their holographic games. Shaking his head, Reed hit the panel by the door and entered the gym. He froze when he saw that he wasn't alone: Hayes was doing push-ups.

Reed found himself staring at Hayes's powerful pecs and hard, bulging triceps. Then he blushed when he realized where his eyes had been lingering and looked away. Fortunately, Hayes seemed to be too absorbed in his regimen to notice or acknowledge Reed's presence. But then the dark head swivelled, and a pair of eyes focused on Reed intently. Hayes dropped down on the mat, rolled over, and sat up.

"I'm sorry, Major," Reed said. "I didn't think anyone else would be here at this hour."

Hayes frowned briefly before his lips pressed back into a straight line.

"I couldn't sleep," he confessed.

Reed chuckled. "No, neither could I. I was hoping a quick workout might do the trick."

Hayes looked thoughtful for a second. "I could use a sparring partner," he said. Then his lips twitched. "If you're up for it."

Reed grimaced. "I didn't come here looking for a detached retina, Major."

"You said you wanted a workout, Lieutenant."

"Yes, well, the last time I worked out with you, we almost ended up killing each other."

Hayes stood up and started to work both his shoulders and triceps, stretching his right arm across his body. Then he pulled the same arm behind his back, touching the center of his spine.

"You're the one who had something to prove," he said. "I would have been quite happy to have kept things on a friendly level.

Reed looked down for an instant. "I'm not sure if I can keep things on a friendly level."

"I'm willing to risk it if you are, Lieutenant."

Reed glanced at Hayes in surprise. He studied his adversary carefully, looking for some sign of deception.

"All right," Reed said at last.

Hayes's lips twitched again. "Great. Would you mind locking the door, sir?"

Reed's brow creased in confusion. "Why?"

"I don't want any interruptions."

"Interruptions?" Reed's eyes narrowed. "I thought we agreed to a friendly match, Major."

"Oh, it will be. I promise you that."

"Very well. I'm in your hands."

"I was really hoping you'd say that, sir," Hayes answered, and Reed was startled to see an actual smile on the major's lips. He didn't think he'd ever seen one before.

"I'm, uh, happy to oblige," Reed muttered, entering the locking code on the door panel. When he turned back around, he found that Hayes was still smiling.

"What?" Reed asked nervously.

"I'd really like to see that."

"See what?"

"You being obliging," Hayes said.

Reed rolled his eyes. "Are we going to stand around all night talking, or are we going to do some sparring?"

Suddenly the smile disappeared. Reed had just enough time to lift his right arm to deflect the punch. Then his feet were shuffling quickly and he was moving into the southpaw stance.

Reed made a left feint. Hayes threw up his left arm and blocked Reed's right jab.

"You kept your left up," Reed said with a hint of approval.

"So am I improving?"

Reed kicked the back of Hayes's knee.

"I'll let you know."

Reed stepped into a guard then ducked as Hayes's leg flew at his head in a high round-house kick. Hayes had barely regained his stance when he was faced with a right cross. Hayes raised his hand to stop the blow then immediately lunged at Reed, throwing a right back-fist. But Reed blocked the jab with his right arm.

"You've been working on the combination," Hayes said. "If only you put this much focus into your target practice."

Reed circled Hayes, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Have you worked out a counter-attack for my Klingon move yet?" he asked, throwing an uppercut.

Hayes fended off the uppercut with his left arm. That was when Reed realized that he had repeated the same mistake he had made during their last sparring match.

Hayes grabbed Reed's arm with his left hand and pulled the lieutenant towards him. With Reed's shoulder tucked under his armpit, Hayes locked the arm in place. Facing his opponent, Hayes hooked his foot around Reed's leg and pushed Reed backwards.

Reed landed on the mat, wincing as Hayes applied pressure to his arm. Reed tried to move his legs, but Hayes immobilized them by climbing on top of Reed and lying across the full length of his body. Hayes was forced to relinquish his hold on Reed's arm to gain this foothold, but anticipated the fist that came flying towards him. He caught it with his right hand then seized Reed by both wrists, pinning his arms to the mat. With one arm trapped on each side of his head, Reed struggled to break free.

But Hayes's full weight was on him.

"Fine," Reed said through gritted teeth. "You win this round, all right? You can get off me now."

Hayes didn't move; he just stared into Reed's eyes.

"Major, what are you doing?"

"This," Hayes said softly. Then his mouth connected with Reed's lips.

Reed's eyes widened and he was too shocked at first to spurn the advance. When it finally occurred to him to fight it, Hayes was already pulling away.

"What the hell was that?" Reed shouted.

"I was trying to present a proposal to you without going over your head, sir," Hayes said in a husky voice.

"Well, I'm afraid you failed miserably, Major, because you've just gone _way_ over my head," Reed snapped. "I have no idea what you were trying to say."

"I'm sorry, sir. I'm not always good at expressing myself. I'll try again."

"What? NO!" Reed cried in horror. But Hayes lowered his head and kissed Reed again. This time Reed did struggle, trying to free his wrists, but Hayes wasn't about to release him. In fact, as Hayes's lips pressed down harder, Reed could feel the grip on his wrists tightening. Refusing to surrender, Reed twisted his head to the side, breaking the kiss.

"I think I understand what you're trying to say," Reed said hoarsely. "Now get off me before I finish what I started during our last sparring match."

Reed waited for Hayes to release his hands and move off him, but his adversary wasn't going anywhere. Reed whipped his head around and found himself nose to nose with Hayes.

"Let go of me," Reed hissed.  
  
"I'm afraid I can't do that, sir. Captain Archer ordered us to settle our differences and that's exactly what I intend to do."

"Settle our differences?" Reed cried in outrage. "Well, I very much doubt this is what the Captain had in mind!"

"You could be right, Lieutenant," Hayes said, as he began to nibble on the squirming armoury officer's neck, "but I just can't help myself." Reed jumped as teeth grazed his skin. "You look so hot in your tank top and sweats."

"Have you completely lost your bloody mind?" Reed demanded furiously. "What if someone were to walk in here? You'd be singing a very different tune then."

Hayes lifted his head from Reed's neck and smiled. "Why do you think I had you lock the door, Lieutenant?"

Reed's eyes widened again. "But...but there's still a camera monitoring this room!"

"I took the liberty of disabling it just before you arrived. You see, I had a feeling you'd _come_ here tonight."

"Why, you arrogant, conceited--GET OFF ME!"

Hayes frowned. "So you'd really turn down one of my proposals, even though I presented it to you first and didn't circumvent your authority?"

Reed laughed despite his anger. "I would have liked to see you present this proposal of yours to the Captain first! He'd have either tossed you in the brig or thrown you out of an airlock!"

"Or he might have approved of the idea. Did you ever consider that? He seems to be pretty open-minded."

"Not _that_ open-minded!"

"Not even in regards to his own crew?" Hayes asked, planting a delicate kiss on Reed's collarbone.

Reed was momentarily surprised and touched by Hayes's gentleness. Hayes started sucking on his ear lobe, and Reed was infuriated that this not only prevented him from thinking clearly, but that it was starting to feel good.

Reed cleared his throat gruffly. "Welfare of the crew? What do you mean by that?"

Hayes pried himself away from the ear lobe reluctantly. "Well...there's his tactical officer for one thing. He has a hair-trigger temper and was paranoid enough to believe that I was trying to take over security. I'd say he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown myself."

"What?" Reed said. Then he gasped as a warm, wet tongue lapped the inside of his ear and teeth nipped at his ear lobe. Closing his eyes, Reed tried to concentrate and not revel in the various sensations Hayes was invoking.

"Don't be absurd, Major," Reed stated, attempting to sound stern. He might have succeeded if a tiny moan hadn't escaped his lips. "St-stop that!" he ordered. Hayes instantly obeyed. Raising his head, he gazed openly at the man who was lying stiffly beneath him.

"You hate it when you're not in control, don't you?" Hayes laughed quietly. "And my men accuse me of being anal." He kissed the tip of Reed's nose. "You're so tense. No one who's been in a coma for four days should be this tense."

"I beg to differ," Reed said in a strained voice.

"You said you were willing to put yourself in my hands, Lieutenant. Let me help you relax."

"We agreed to a friendly sparring match. This is a lot more friendly than I had in mind."

"Then maybe you should re-think your definition of the word 'friendly,' Lieutenant."

"And perhaps you should re-think your choice of career, Major, because when I'm finished with you--"

Reed's lips were suddenly engulfed in another kiss. He opened his mouth to protest, and Hayes's tongue took advantage of the breach in his defences.

The grip on Reed's wrists grew almost painful, and he felt a flutter in the pit of his stomach. Then his cock twitched and his own tongue greeted Hayes's tongue eagerly. Hayes groaned and the kiss deepened. When Hayes finally pulled away, both he and Reed were flushed and breathless.

"Look me in the eye," Hayes panted, "and tell me you don't want this. If you can do that, I'll get off you and you can report this to Captain Archer."

Reed took an extra few seconds to get his breathing under control. Then he gazed directly into Hayes's eyes.

"I don't want this," he said.

Hayes looked stunned and hurt for an instant, before the cold military mask slipped back into place. He released Reed's wrists and rolled off him. Reed waited until Hayes was in a sitting position before he swung his legs up in the air and hooked his ankles around Hayes's neck. Before the MACO knew what was happening, he had been flipped onto his back. Then there was a Starfleet officer straddling him.

"I'm the head of security," Reed growled. "I give the orders around here. You serve _under_ me." He ran his hands over Hayes's triceps and pecs, watching Hayes's expression shift from confusion to wonder. "You see, you were looking at my eyes when you should have been looking at my legs." Reed grasped Hayes's t-shirt with both hands and descended on his lips hungrily.

Hayes returned the kiss with equal enthusiasm. Then he moaned in appreciation as Reed rubbed his thumbs across his t-shirt and over his nipples. Reed suddenly stopped kissing him, his fingers fumbling for the hem of the t-shirt. He yanked it out from underneath his legs, and Hayes lifted his shoulders so Reed could pull the t-shirt over his head. Reed smiled as his palms met bare flesh.

"Are you still having trouble taking orders from me, Major?" Reed asked, stroking Hayes's chest.

"No, sir."

"And you respect my authority?" Reed squeezed Hayes's nipples, hard.

"Yes, sir!" Hayes cried.

"Hmm...we'll see about that."

Reed leaned over and swirled his tongue around Hayes's left nipple. Hayes gasped. Reed slid down to Hayes's thighs. He then ran his tongue down Hayes's chest, towards his stomach. The tongue paused above the belly button before licking the inside. Hayes squirmed and tried to sit up, but Reed held him by the shoulders and pushed him down on the mat.

"I don't allow insubordination," Reed said.

"Then give me a dressing down," Hayes whispered.

Reed grinned, his teeth flashing. "I'd love to, Major."

Reed's hands went to Hayes's belt and quickly unbuckled it. Then he was unzipping a fly and prying pants and underwear off of Hayes's hips, pulling them down to his knees.

"Well, at least you know how to salute an officer properly," Reed said, as his eyes fell on the swollen member. "I think you deserve a commendation." He lowered his head and placed his lips around the tip of Hayes's cock. Hayes cried out and his hips bucked. Reed placed a firm hand on Hayes's pelvis and then swallowed the rest of Hayes's shaft.

"Oh, God," Hayes said hoarsely.

Hayes tried to keep his hips from moving again as Reed started caressing his testicles with one hand. Reed ran his tongue along the length of Hayes's cock a few times then swallowed it, sucking harder. Then a hand was nudging his head.

"Stop," Hayes said.

Reed looked up in surprise.

"Please," Hayes pleaded. "I need you to stop."

Reed released his prize, giving Hayes's shaft one last long lick that sent goose bumps up and down Hayes's body.

"Are you having trouble carrying out my orders, Major?"

"No...Ahh..." Hayes gasped as Reed cradled his balls.

"Then what's the problem?"

Hayes took Reed's hand firmly and removed it from his scrotum. "You're supposed to be getting a workout too, Lieutenant."

Reed snorted. "Well, so far I seem to be the one doing all the work here, Major."

"And receiving none of the benefits. I'd like to change that, to-to serve you better, sir."

"Uh, I'm not sure if I follow."

"Sir, if you reach into my right pocket, I think you'll have no trouble following me."

Reed looked dubious but he humoured Hayes and fished around in the major's pants. Then his fingers came into contact with a small plastic tube. He extracted the object from Hayes's pocket and raised an eyebrow.

"My, we are prepared."

"I was an Eagle Scout, sir. Just like you," Hayes explained.

Reed stared at Hayes suspiciously. "How do you know I was an Eagle Scout?"

"I did my homework, Lieutenant. I know just about everything there is to know about you."

"Oh, really?" Reed said in amusement. "I very much doubt that."

"Then help me learn more." Hayes sat up and touched Reed's cheek tenderly. Reed closed his eyes for an instant. Then he reached for his tank top and pulled it over his head slowly. Hayes trailed a hand down Reed's chest.

"More," he insisted.

"You first."

Reed unlaced Hayes's combat boots and freed the major's legs from his underwear and pants. He was about to pick up the lube from where he'd left it on the mat, but Hayes swatted his hand away.

"More."

"Very well," Reed said quietly. He rose and kicked off his sneakers. Then he was stepping out of the rest of his clothes. When he had finished stripping, he looked back at Hayes almost shyly.

"I can see why they call you the weapons expert," Hayes said with a smile.

Reed blushed and smiled himself, despite his embarrassment.

"Come here."

"I don't remember giving you permission to speak freely," Reed said, though he agreed to Hayes's request all the same. He knelt down in front of Hayes and reached for the lube again, but Hayes grabbed his hand.

"Let me," Hayes said.

"You-you wish to lubricate yourself?"

"No, I want to 'lubricate' you."

"What?" Then Reed inhaled sharply as Hayes released his hand and seized another part of his anatomy instead.

"Here," Hayes said, passing the lube to Reed. "I can't open this with one hand."

"Perhaps you should have thought of that before you..." Reed trailed off as Hayes began stroking him, his hand pumping his penis slowly. Reed held back a whimper and quickly screwed the cap off the lube.

"Major..."

"In a minute," Hayes said distractedly.

"In another minute I might not need the lube," Reed gasped.

"Really? I would have thought you'd be able to maintain better control of yourself," Hayes teased. He set a faster rhythm and this time he heard Reed whimper out loud. "Would you say I'm improving _now_, Lieutenant?"

"Yes, damn you," Reed rasped.

"Jolly good," Hayes said, imitating Reed's accent. Reed glared at him then squeezed his eyes shut and groaned as Hayes tugged playfully at his penis.

"Okay, Lieutenant, I guess I'd better take that from you," Hayes said, plucking the lube from Reed's fingers. He placed a dollop on his hand and began to coat Reed's cock.

"Ahh! That's cold!" Reed exclaimed.

"But I thought you wanted to cool down," Hayes said, keeping a firm hold on the wriggling man kneeling in front of him. Taking pity on Reed, he finished the task quickly, though he continued to stare at the glistening, erect penis even after he had removed his hand.

"It's nice to see that this Englishman not only has a stiff upper lip, for once, but a stiff--"

"Major!" Reed grabbed the lube from Hayes then shoved Hayes onto his back. Hayes spread his legs open obligingly, and Reed settled between Hayes's knees without hesitation. He applied some lube to his fingers before jabbing a digit into Hayes's anus without mercy.

"Christ!" Hayes shouted, his body jerking.

"Serves you bloody right." Reed pushed another finger in, and Hayes threw his head back, a fist pounding the mat. By the time Reed had prepared Hayes to his satisfaction, the MACO was writhing helplessly.

"Please..." Hayes begged. "You've got to...I need you to..."

Climbing on top of Hayes, Reed plunged inside him.

"God!" Hayes moaned, his fingers clenching. Reed thrust again, and Hayes's hips bucked.

"You're killing me," Hayes breathed.

"It's a bit late to ask me to be gentle with you," Reed grunted.

"Don't you dare." Hayes wrapped his legs around Reed possessively, crushing Reed against him. Reed groaned and thrust hard.

"Faster," Hayes whispered, threading his fingers in Reed's hair.

Unable to speak, Reed simply nodded and accelerated the pace. Sweat beaded his brow and his arms were trembling from the strain, but Reed pounded into Hayes relentlessly.

Hayes threw his head back again, his mouth hanging open. "Can't hold on," he panted. "Come for me."

"No..." Reed managed. "I..." He tensed and gave a strangled cry. Hayes arched his back and shook violently as the orgasm took him. Reed drove into him a few more times, riding out the climax, before collapsing on Hayes's chest in exhaustion.

Neither man moved for some time, but lay on the mat, completely spent. Then Hayes brushed the hair back from Reed's sweaty forehead and kissed it.

"That...that was incredible," he said. "You were amazing."

"Hmm."

Hayes smiled and wrapped his arms around Reed. Too tired to resist at first, Reed allowed the gesture. However, it wasn't long before he was freeing himself of Hayes's embrace and moving off the MACO's body. Hayes propped himself up on one elbow and watched as Reed hunted down a towel. He stared at Reed's pale, slender form as Reed cleaned off his stomach.

"You'd better fix that camera," Reed said, throwing the towel at Hayes. "Someone's bound to notice that it isn't working, if it hasn't been noticed already." Reed gathered his clothes from the floor and began to get dressed.

"Are we going to talk about this, Lieutenant?"

Reed stood still for a moment, his tank top resting in his hands.

"I don't see what there is to talk about."

"Well...this," Hayes stated, with a sweeping motion of his hand. "Us."

"There is no 'us,'" Reed said sharply. "This...this was a one-time event, Major. It won't be happening again."

Reed threw on his tank top, slipped into his sneakers and moved swiftly for the door. He removed the locking code before looking over his shoulder at Hayes.

"It was good sparring with you."

Resisting the urge to lunge at Reed in fury, Hayes flopped back on the mat.

* * *

The neuropressure forgotten, Tucker sat contemplating his friend's strange behaviour. He knew that everybody was still pretty out of it after the last four days, but Malcolm had practically been on another planet. Tucker just couldn't understand what was going on with the armoury officer. He glanced at the door again as if searching for an answer. When it opened he had one.

"Good evening, Major."

Hayes nodded politely. "Commander."

Hayes walked to the beverage dispenser, and Tucker waited to hear what the MACO would order. But Hayes couldn't seem to make up his mind. He stood in front of the dispenser, hands on hips.

"I don't suppose this thing serves anything stronger than coffee, does it?" Hayes asked as Tucker was lifting his own mug to his lips. Tucker immediately started choking.

"Uh...no. I don't think so," he said, once he stopped coughing.

"Damn," Hayes muttered.

"Would you like to talk about it?"

Hayes spun around, a startled expression on his face.

"Uh...no. I don't think so."

Tucker shrugged. "Suit yourself."

Hayes nodded and headed for the door.

"I don't think I'll ever truly understand him either."

Hayes froze then turned around slowly.

"Commander..."

"Yes, Major?"

"Do you know anything about fixing cameras?"

"Fixing cameras?"

"Yeah, the one in the gym was dis...seems to be malfunctioning," Hayes said, not quite meeting Tucker's eyes.

"Oh, really? This I've gotta see." Tucker sprang up from his chair. "Lead the way, Major."

"Yes, sir!"

Tucker slapped Hayes on the back. "At ease."

"Uh...okay."

The chief engineer ushered the bemused MACO out of the mess hall with a grin.

"So, Major, what exactly is the story with you and Malcolm, anyway?"


End file.
